


Renovation and Infatuation

by Alexsorangeshirt



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015), supercorp - Fandom
Genre: F/F, HGTV AU, supergirl - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:27:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25944325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alexsorangeshirt/pseuds/Alexsorangeshirt
Summary: Lena’s mouth dropped open. “My chemistry with Kara.”“Yes, dear." Cat explained. "You and Kara pop on screen. More so than anyone I’ve seen in a while. Viewers would eat up your relationship. I’d suggest you two have at least one private interaction each episode. She could teach you how to use a nail gun or you could take her to pick out some tile. Just bring some cameras and capture it on film. If you play your cards right, it might be the star element in the show.”
Relationships: Kara Danvers & Lena Luthor, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Supercorp - Relationship
Comments: 67
Kudos: 609





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been watching too many HGTV shows during social isolation and I couldn't get this AU out of my mind.

“I’m not sure I can take another one Jess.” Lena said as she resisted sinking into the one funny-smelling chair in the room. One of the many creepy items residing in this horridly furnished house.  
  
“We only have a few more today and then you can have the weekend free.” Jess said without looking up from her phone. Lena didn’t take it personally. Jess was an amazing assistant and if she was on her phone, she was probably doing something for work. Even if it weren’t work-related, Lena couldn’t bring herself to care. Jess was too valuable for her to care about things as insignificant as that.  
  
“Who is the next one and when are they supposed to show up?” Lena asked. She really wanted to know how much time she had before she needed to summon the strength for another smile.  
  
“The next guy is Mike Jones. He’s a contractor out of Charlotte. Decent resume but with poor grammar. He should show up anytime now.” Jess rattled off without looking.  
  
As if on cue, a knock sounded from the front door of the house.  
  
Jess looked up. “That’ll be him. I’ll go let him in.”  
  
She slipped her phone in her jacket pocket and went to the door. Lena stood up and smoothed out the wrinkles on her dress. She tried to summon up the energy to plaster another smile on her face. The day had been long and filled with unsuitable candidates who either wanted to talk over Lena or attempt to correct her on minor points. She hopes the next candidate, Mike something, would be more suitable. With a deep breath, she turned and went to introduce herself to Mike.  
  
“This is Lena. She’d be your costar on the show and play the role of expert designer.” Jess said as Lena approached them.  
  
“Nice to meet you, Lena. My name’s Mike.” He offered his hand and Lena shook it. She noted that his hand wasn’t in the least bit rough, rather it seemed smooth. Not a good sign, she wanted a costar who could actually do the work. Anything less felt like cheating.  
  
“Nice to meet you.” Lena met mike’s bright smile.  
  
He wasn’t an unattractive man. He had a short but well-groomed beard with messy hair that was clearly styled to look fashionable. He had a strong jaw and light brown eyes. His physique was also well-maintained as she could see he was toned and muscular. Although, his type of physique seemed to come more from the gym and not from doing large amounts of manual labor. Any viewers who fancied men would certainly like seeing Mike on their screens. Well, as long as he had a passable personality and good chemistry with Lena.  
  
“Alright, as mentioned in the emails this is an audition for the new show ‘Our Family Home’ on the HOME network. Like most of the network’s shows, it’s about home renovation but has its own little twist. We renovate homes for people who typically couldn’t afford a home. Most of our clients will have never owned a house before and our mission is to help them afford a new family home. We don’t talk about money or care about costs, we only care about what our clients want. The money is taken care of by the Luthor Housing Foundation. Any question so far?” Jess asked.  
  
“No ma’am, not yet.” Mike replied.  
  
“Great. Did you have a chance to look over the notes on the house right and your client? Jess asked as she indicated the house, they all stood in. Before the audition, Jess sent all the candidates information on the house and the imaginary client. The idea was that candidates needed to fit their recommendations to work with the house and the needs of the client.  
  
Mike nodded. “I looked it over.” At least he’d taken the time to do that. A few of the previous candidates hadn’t even looked over the notes which immediately got them sent to the back of the pack.  
  
“Good. So, for the audition, you and Lena will be walking the client through the house and sharing your visions for what the house could become. You can offer notes on anything you want but please remember that your client’s wants. Any questions yet?” Jess paused.  
  
“Not yet. No.”  
  
“Alright. We have two cameras that will take footage as we go through the house. We’ll mainly be looking for your energy on camera, your ability to explain things for the general public, and your chemistry with Lena. We know you haven’t seen the house in person before or met Lena, but we’ll mostly just look for how you present on-screen and if we see potential.” Jess explained as she’d done a dozen times in the past few days. She gave all the candidates the same speech.  
  
“Jess will play our client for the walkthrough of the house. Joey and Anne will man the cameras as we tour the house with her.” Lena added.  
  
“Sounds good.” Mike said as he flashed a grin at Lena. He was obviously aware of his boyish charm and was planning to use it to his advantage. Not that Lena could necessarily blame him for doing so. She’d be amiss to say she’d never been given any opportunities thanks to her looks. She’d never intentionally used her looks to gain anything, but she knew that being considered beautiful opened a lot of doors.  
  
“Let’s start at the front.” Jess said as she guided them through the front of the house so they could start the walkthrough. Joey followed with one camera while Anne stayed inside to catch the shot of them entering the house.  
  
Jess, Mike, and Lena all settled a few yards in front of the dilapidated front porch and Joey trained his camera on them.  
  
“Three!” Joey called out. Lena took a breath to prepare herself for the camera. She’d done this walk through a dozen times but needed to give it her all each time. She needed to ensure that any chemistry she had with Mike came out on screen. For this show to be a success, she needed the perfect partner. Even if Mike didn’t seem like the perfect costar now, that could change when they were one screen together.  
  
“Two!” Joey called out. Lena brushed a lock of hair out of her face and plaster on a smile.  
  
“One!” Lena took a step closer Mike.  
  
“Action!”  
  


***

  
Over an hour later, Lena finally shut the door behind Mike. Unfortunately, Lena could not say that he wasn’t talented. Mike has proved knowledgeable about reno and was a natural in front of the camera. He explained his ideas with ease and was good at painting a picture in someone’s head.  
  
He and Lena also played off each other well. At least, Lena’s camera persona played off him well. Unlike some of the other men she’d auctioned, Mike actually let Lena speak and complimented some of her ideas. They’d even naturally fell into some jokes and teasing. In one room, Mike made a comment about transforming into a Man Cave while Lena countered with a potential Lady’s Lair. They’d gone back and forth a bit and Lena knew an audience would eat their banter up.  
  
Still, Lena didn’t like the idea of him being her costar. She wanted someone with talent but who also cared about the show’s mission. ‘Our Family Home’ was meant to help displaced families find and purchase an affordable house. Any renovations on the show would do need to be done with durability in mind. Putting hardwoods into a house is great but sometimes a family might prefer something more durable. Mike seemed to think about presentation before durability. A lot of his suggestions seemed more at place in a wealthy suburban area rather than the clients Lena wanted to serve.  
  
Mike also didn’t seem to do much work himself. Whenever he mentioned any large renovation work he always talked as if his ‘guys’ would take care of it. He never mentioned doing any work himself. Lena understood the importance of delegating work, but she wanted someone who’d put in the work with her. Lena needed a costar who’d be willing to get dirty and she wasn’t sure that Mike would be that person.  
  
“Lena, we only have a few minutes before our next audition. Can I get you a coffee or anything? Do you need anything to eat?” Jess asked. Her voice stirred Lena from her thoughts.  
  
Jess was forever worried about Lena’s eating habits. She’d try to make Lena eat multiple times a day and offer endless cups of coffee to ensure Lena had at least some calories in her. It wasn’t that Lena refused to eat, but she often just forgot. If she had an endless day of meetings or a stressful situation with her family, Lena could forget to eat all day. Jess had noticed the habit within the first few weeks of working for Lena and now continuously offered Lena food. For her part, Lena was grateful for Jess. Hiring Jess hadn’t only gotten her a great employee, but also a wonderful friend.

“I’m fine Jess. I’m actually going to run to the bathroom before the next audition to get here.” Lena said as she grabbed her bag from the coffee table and went to the restroom. It wasn’t a bathroom she was used to, but the water worked, and it was relatively clean. She used the toilet and checked her make-up in the tiny mirror. After reapplying lipstick, Lena was satisfied with her appearance and went back to meet Jess.

“I know you said you were fine, but drink this anyway.” Jess said as she offered Lena a bottle of iced coffee.

“Where did this come from?” Lena asked as she accepted the drink.

Jess shrugged. “I knew it was going to be a long day and slipped some stuff in that old fridge before we started. Joey and Anne also have something to munch on.”

“You’re too good to us Jess.”

Jess smiled. “Just doing my job.”

They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Their next audition was about to start.

“Who is this one again?” Lena asked as they went to the door.

Uncharacteristically, Jess faltered. “Um—it’s something Danvers. They’re rather young compared to the other applicants but they co-manage a contractor business that’s remarkably successful.”

“This is the last one for the day, right?” Lena asked as they stopped at the door.

Jess nodded. “Last for today. You ready?”

Lena took a breath. “Let’s finish this.” She opened the door and braced for another hour of fake smiles.

The person standing on the other side of the doorway was not what Lena expected. Instead of another burly bearded man, a woman stood on the other side of the doorway. Her long blonde hair was pulled into a braid while a few strands hung down to frame her deep blue eyes. Her face was makeup-less, but her cheeks held a nature pink blush that was a few shades lighter than then her blush pink lips.

As Lena’s eyes traveled down, she saw the woman was wearing a light blue polo work shirt with a logo on the breast pocket. It was tucked into a pair of khaki work pants that tapered as they traveled down the leg until they hit worn work boots. While the outfit was obviously for work, it was still stylish and attractive.

“Ms. Danvers?” Jess asked while Lena gawked unprofessionally at the woman. They’d done nearly seven other auditions and none of the others was a woman. Most were burly bearded men with the occasionally pretty boy like Mike. While Lena liked the idea of a female costar, she’d had not invested in the idea because female contractors were few and far between. The space was typically dominated by men.

“Please, call me Kara.” The blond woman said with a smile. She was unbearably attractive in a girl-next-door way.

“Alright, Kara then. I’m Jess and this is Lena. She’ll be your costar and fulfill the designer role for the show.” Jess explained. Kara’s eyes turned to meet Lena’s gaze.

“Nice to meet you ma’am.” Kara said. A slight southern accent tinged her words.

“Alright. Kara, did you have a chance to read the notes we sent you? The ones about the premise of the show?” Jess asked.

Kara nodded. “I looked them all over and I love the premise of the show. With more and more places becoming gentrified, people are struggling more and more to own family home. It’ll do wonders for a family and a community.”

Lena was struck by Kara’s comment. None of the previous candidates said anything about the nature of the show. They stuck to contractor stuff and didn’t mention a want to help others or anything similar.

Kara continued, “How do you plan on helping them handle the taxes and other increased costs? It's great that you plan to keep the client’s mortgages down but how will you help them with property tax and everything?” She questioned.

“Please don’t worry about the finances. The Luthor Housing Foundation will handle anything to do with money.” Jess responded.

Kara’s eyes narrowed. “You do plan on helping them though right? You can’t just claim to be doing some great charitable deed and then leave them to fend for themselves?” 

Jess started to respond. “The Luthor Housing—”

“None of them will have a mortgage.” Lena interrupted.

Blue eyes turned to Lena. “What?”

“I don’t plan on making any of our clients pay for their houses. They won’t have any mortgage so any property tax or added expense should be covered with ease.”

“You’re going to give people free houses?”

Lena nodded. “I plan to provide housing to people who deserve it but who could not normally afford it. Yes.”

“How very altruistic of you.” Kara commented. Her comment was stinking with sarcasm.

“I’m lucky to be in a position where I can afford to be altruistic.” Lena retorted.

Kara’s eyes studied Lena’s face before looking Lena up and down. Kara seemed to appraise Lena. As if she was decided whether to trust Lena at her word. For her part, Lena felt challenged by the woman in front of her but did not begrudge Kara. It was admirable that Kara cared about the futures of their potential clients and not just about her shot at becoming a television star.

Silent during the previous exchange, Jess took the opportunity to pull them back to the task at hand.

“So, Kara–” Jess interrupted. “–you obviously understand the purpose of the show. For the audition, you and Lena will be giving a client a tour of the house and sharing your visions for the house’s potential. You can offer ideas on anything you want but please remember that your client’s wants. You received the notes on your client, too right?”

Kara nodded. “Single mom with two young kids. Looking for a long-term home with room to grow.”

“Excellent. I’ll be playing the part of the client while Joey and Anne will be filming during the house tour. We know this is probably your first time being filmed for something like this, so we don’t expect you to be perfect. We mainly want to see how you explain things to clients, how you present onscreen, and your chemistry with Lena.” Jess explained.

“Chemistry?” Kara asked. Lena thought she detected a hint of a blush on her cheeks.

“Yes. Just how you interact. If you play off each other well. You two won’t be on screen together all the time but it’s important you are fun to watch when you are on screen together.” Jess explained.

Kara bit her lip but nodded her understanding. She kept her eyes on Jess and never looked at Lena.

“Let’s start from the front porch. Shall we?” Lena said before she led everyone to the front of the house. Like before, Joey came to film them outside while Anne stayed into the capture the shot as they entered.

“Three.” Joey called as they all got in position. Lena saw Kara’s inhale a deep breath.

“Two.” Kara took a step closer to Lena.

“One.” Lena stepped closer to Kara and plastered a smile on her face.

“Action!”

As with the other auditions, Lena started the tour by explaining the basics of the house to their client, played by Jess.

“So, this lovely place was built in 1947. It’s a three-bedroom, one bath home, and its about seventeen hundred square feet.” Lena explained to Jess as the Joey walked behind them to get the shot.

Playing her part, Jess gave a half laugh and said, “It’s cute but I’m not particularly fond of the color.”

The house that they were using for the audition did seem to have a particularly awful problem with colors. The house itself was painted a dull burnt orange and had bright green shutters with a dark green front door. The color choices didn’t get much better on the inside.

Returning to the moment, Lena responded, “Please don’t worry about the color of the house right now. We can change it something lighter and more pleasing to the eye.” Lena smiled.

“Well, fall is coming soon, and it might be cool to paint the shutters and the front door black. Then you’d have the coolest house for Halloween, and I swear ya’ll would be the most popular family on the block.” Kara commented as she shot a cheeky grin at Lena.

Neither Jess nor Lena was expected such a statement from Kara. For her part, Kara grinned widely at Lena, obviously enjoying her own joke.

“Is she to repaint the house red, green, and white for Christmas too? Maybe pink and white for valentine’s day?” Lena shot back at Kara. “Darling you need to remember that not everyone knows their way around a paint can and painters tape as well as you.” Lena added with a laugh.

Kara frowned. “You know, you’re right. That’d be a lot of work even if it would make you the coolest house on the block.”

Lena laughed and turned to Jess. “I promise you that she’s actually quite professional. There’s just a reason she’s not allowed to pick out any colors.”

“I’ll take you word on it.” Jess chuckled as they started walking toward the door.

Opening the front door, Kara said, “Let’s go ahead and take a look at the inside of this pumpkin.”

“Wow.” Jess said as they entered the house. Playing her part perfectly, Jess expressed what any potential buyer would when they entered this god-awful house. Disgust.

In front of them was the living room with exactly three things in it. There was a shabby brown leather chair leaning against the wall. In the center of the room was an old exercise bike with a thick layer of dust. On the opposite wall was a monstrous gun safe that had a variety of inappropriate novelty stickers covering the front doors. Beyond the few pieces of furniture, the room was covered in wallpaper made of a mauve-green and bright pink.

“Don’t you love it?” Lena asked Jess.

“Not exactly my style of décor.” Jess replied as she gazed around the room.

“I hope its not anyone’s style of décor.” Kara grimaced for the camera.

“Well, it doesn’t matter because we can just rip all of this out and make this room something completely new.” Lena explained. “Remove the wallpaper, get rid of the furniture and this isn’t actually that bad of a room.”

“Lena’s right. We could clean it all up, maybe give you a few new windows to let some natural light in, and this room would be great for your family. This room is large enough that we could even put some built-in bookshelves on that back wall. It would give you guys plenty of extra storage.” Kara added.

“That sounds amazing.” Jess said. In truth, no one else had suggested the built-in bookshelves but it was a good idea. 

“Great, so now let’s go and check out the kitchen.” Lena said as led them through an opening and into a kitchen.

They rounded a corner and found themselves in the small kitchen. It was shaped like a large U and had huge wood cabinets that seemed jut out into the room. The countertops were some sort of orange laminate and the backsplash was simply plaster painted a dull yellow.

“This is a bit tight.” Jess said. Unease showing on her face.

“So, to expand the kitchen, I’d recommend knocking down this wall right here. Putting cabinets all along this wall and building a big island in the middle.” Kara tapped a wall and added, “Behind this wall is a laundry room but we can relocate it and give you this whole space to work as your kitchen.” Kara explained as leaned against the kitchen cabinet.

“I know it's hard to imagine it with the way it is now. But taking down these walls would give you triple the amount of space for the kitchen and even give you informal seating at the island.”

Jess nodded. “I can see the potential.”

“Alright, on to the master bedroom then.” Kara said as she led them down the hall. She’d obviously taken the time to study the house’s layout and felt comfortable enough to take the lead for a moment. She paused at the bedroom door and smiled at Jess. “Go take a look at your rustic cabin oasis?”

Pushing through the door. Jess entered the bedroom with Lena and Kara following closely behind her.

Jess’s mouth dropped open. “That is a lot of wood.”

As Jess said, the room was full of different tones and stains of wood. The wall was dark stained wood planks while the ceiling was a lighter color of stained wood with a different grain pattern. The bed frame that was left in the room was also made of stained wood. Even the window frames were made from wood. In whole, the entire room was made up of six different and contrasting shades of brown. The only saving grace was the interesting vaulted ceiling made the room seem large and spacious.

“Now, if you just so happen to spend a lot of time cosplaying a medieval monk than we can leave the wood and even install a few wrought iron touches.” Kara grinned. “But, if you’d prefer something a little more modern than we can tear all this up and put in something a little cleaner. Maybe even get crazy and add some drywall, paint, maybe even some wallpaper?”

Lena rolled her eyes yet could not help smiling at Kara’s antics.

“I think I’d prefer any of that to what is here.” Jess replied.

“Well, let’s look at the bathroom then. It's through this doorway.” Lena said as she took Jess to the only bathroom in the house. The bathroom wasn’t the worst room in the house as it was relatively clean but did have old fixtures. It wasn’t even that small as it had enough room for a full shower and bathtub along with a double vanity.

“It's not terrible.” Jess said as she surveyed the space.

“It's not but we’d still rip everything out and take some space from the second bedroom to give you a little more room. We’d update everything and replace all the plumbing. I think we could even squeeze in a large soaking tub to ensure this really did become a place of rest and relaxation.” Lena explained to Jess.

“That sounds amazing.”

“Great. Now there are two other bedrooms that would be for your kids. Their right down the hall.” Lena said as she led the group to the first room. Still playing the part of the client, Jess stuck her head into each room to check them out.

“They're both a good size. They’d work for the kids.”

Kara turned to Jess. “Now, I doubt you’d want to share your amazing new bathroom with your kids. I might have a possible solution.” Kara winked at Jess. “Come with me.” Unsure where Kara was going with this, Lena followed Jess and Kara down the hall. Kara led them to the back of the house where there was a small deck that led to the backyard.

“So, I propose that we do an addition where this deck is. It wouldn’t need to be huge, but we could fit in another full bath and even a stackable washer dryer. Because we’d be building a new wall the plumbing and electrically wouldn’t be a problem. As your kids grow, I think it’ll be really nice for them to have their own bathroom.”

“I love that idea.” She smiled. “It would be amazing for them to have their own bathroom.”

Lena turned back to Jess and smiled, “We have one last space to show you. You ready to see it?”

“Let’s do it.”

Keeping the smile on her face, Lena led Jess to the stairway off the hall. Single file, they ascended the stairs until they were all upstairs. On the second floor was a single, large bonus room. The roof had a slant but there was plenty of room for couches, a large television, and more.

“So, this area is huge and could easily be a great play area for the kids and eventually a teen space as they grow up.”

“I’m telling you that this room could make you the most popular house in the neighborhood. And that is without doing the amazing jack-o-lantern paint job on the outside.” Kara added enthusiastically. At Kara’s comment, turned to the camera and rolled her eyes.

“Cut!” Joey’s voice called suddenly. Kara jumped at the sound of his voice. They had covered the whole house and were done for the day.

Anne turned to Kara, “Normally we might do a few retakes for extra material or do the confessionals but since this is just an audition, we’re stopping here for today.”

Kara nodded. “That wasn’t as bad as I was expecting.” The group started making their way back towards the front door.

Lena cocked an eyebrow. “And what were you expecting?”

Kara shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never done a TV thing before. I thought there’d be more yelling, and I was worried someone might try to put makeup on me.”

Lena laughed. “If it was to be so awful, why even audition?”

“I really like the idea of the show. Helping people I mean. I’ve done a few jobs for people who’ve never got to live in their own house and it's always amazing to see how they react to owning something beautiful. It's so much more fulfilling than remodeling the bathroom of a rich couple’s vacation home.”

Kara sounded so genuine that Lena hated her gut reaction was skepticism. Lena had heard similar speeches before but knew it was an act. She wanted to believe Kara was being genuine, but she wasn’t one to trust easily.

“Now who sounds altruistic?” Lena responded, referencing their earlier conversation. She met Kara’s blue gaze. Kara bit her lip and chill went through Lena.

“Touché” Kara smiled. A twinkle in her eye.

“So, Kara, we are going to let Joey and Anne pack up and head home. Do you have any questions for us before we head out?” Jess asked.

“I don’t think so.” She turned to Lena. “I do really appreciate you talking with me today. I actually did manage to have a bit of fun.”

“Thank you for spending the evening with us.” Lena said. She wanted to say that she had fun too. That she enjoyed the few moments of back-and-forth and silly banter. But she held her tongue.

“I am afraid that it will be quite a few weeks before we contact you either way.” Jess started to explain. “We have to splice the footage of all the candidates together, review it, and then take it to the network higher-ups for their thoughts. We anticipate knowing in two to three months. We will let you know if you get the job and if you do not. If you have questions, you have my contact information.”

Kara nodded. “I understand.” Her hand went to the doorknob. “Thank you both for the opportunity. If nothing else, it was fun to see the inner workings of a television show.” Kara smiled brightly again. Lena was beginning to think it was a near-permanent fixture on her face.

With a final wave, Lena and Jess watched the door shut behind Kara.

“I like her.”

“What?” Lena turned towards Jess.

“Kara. I think she’d be perfect.” Jess said.

“You think so?”

“I do. She was warm and funny and seemed to interact well with the camera. You also seemed to work well with her. A little practice and you two could churn out made for TV moments like it was butter.”

Lena felt her cheeks redden. Obviously, Jess had noticed something between her and Kara. There was some sort of chemistry there, but Lena was unsure what it was.

“We need to wait for the footage before we make any decisions.” Lena sighed. “It's not even our decision really. If the network doesn’t like our choice, they’ll pick someone else.”

“We can still give them a preference. I’ll send them the footage as soon as Anne and Joey splice the tapes together.”

“Good.” Lena nodded. “Let’s go home.”

***

Lena’s next few months were filled with various meetings and other business events. Luckily, Lena no longer had to act as CEO of the Luther Investments. As soon as she gained full control of the company, Lena had hired Sam Arias to act as CEO. One of Lena’s closest friends, Sam was the obvious choice for the position. As a single woman, she had managed to finish business school while raising her daughter.

That is what drew Lena to Sam in the first place. Lena had been sitting in her graduate school class when she noticed a young woman and a small child enter the classroom. A college campus, young children were rare to see. The child dropped a sippy cup and the woman struggled to retrieve it as her arms were full of all the things that a child required. Leaving her seat, Lena picked up the sippy cup and handed it to the young girl.

The girl accepted the cup but turned to bury her head into the neck of her mother. Her little hands holding tight to the sippy cup.

That was the first time Lena met Sam. After that day, Lena partnered with Sam for a class project and they became fast friends. Soon, Lena would go to Sam’s apartment after class and play with Ruby, Sam’s daughter, while Sam made them all dinner.

Now, years after graduation, Sam and Lena were still great friends. Lena trusted Sam more than anyone in her life and she knew she wanted Sam as CEO of the company. As soon as her brother officially sold his shares to Lena, she called Sam and told her to get on a plane. Even with her brother gone, Luther investments would struggle to regain its prestige. The stock price was down, and the public perception of the company was horrid. Sam would oversee digging the company out of the trenches. Lena would not be involved in the daily running of the company but would still be the owner.

Instead of running the business, Lena decided to focus on more charitable endeavors. Her brother had done so many awful things in pursuit of profit and she felt the need to make up for his sins. She should have never left him the run the company alone. She should have watched him more closely and ensured her was staying true to their father’s values. But she left him to his own devices and ran off to study history in England. While she was researching the catacombs, her brother was committed financial fraud, using discriminatory housing practices, and evicting poor people from their homes. She didn’t blame the world for hating him or the company.

Luckily, she had Sam to rebuild the company and its image. Meanwhile, Lena had spent her time working with different foundations and charities to promote various causes such as low-cost housing and education. So far, Lena had donated millions in grants to different organizations she felt would help the world.

That’s all Lena really wanted to do. She wanted to use her money and power to help others and undo the damage of her brother. Her issue was that she seemed to just be throwing money at causes. Giving money was useful but not everything. It wasn’t the same as rolling up her sleeves and doing the work herself. So, that’s exactly what Lena planned to do.

With Jess’s help, she created a new foundation. One meant to aid people who could never afford to own a home without financial assistance. She wanted to help people stop renting from greedy landlords and own a family home. At first, her housing foundation was just meant to renovate old houses and sell them at low-cost to people in need. With high housing costs around the city, people like teachers, social workers, and cashiers would never be able to own a home. Lena wanted her foundation to change that.

About a month into the planning process, Lena got a call from Cat Grant, owner of The Home Network. She wanted to do a television show about the foundation and wanted Lena to star in it. Apparently, charitable housing renovation and the sister of a disgraced billionaire would make for a popular show. At first, Lena refused. She didn’t need the money the show offered to start her work.

But Jess and Sam talked her into the idea. Jess claimed the show would show the world the true Lena. Right now, the world saw her as the sister of the supervillain and that would need to change. Sam also suggested the show could be good for the foundation. It would be great publicity and possibly draw in huge amounts of fundraising money. In the end, Lena agreed to starring in the show if she maintained most of the artistic control.

Now, she and Jess were waiting in the lobby outside of Cat Grant’s office at the network’s headquarters. They had a meeting with the Cat and a few others to learn the networks casting choice for Lena’s costar and to plan the start of filming. The building wasn’t as large as Lena expected but it was beautiful inside. Plenty of plants and artistic pieces made the building seem friendly and less-imposing. The staff had been very friendly as well. Offering Lena and Jess everything from coffee to lemonade as they waited for their meeting to start.

“Ms. Grant is ready for you.” The secretary said as she returned from the other room.

Following the secretary, Lena and Jess were brought down the hall and into a large conference room. A beautiful wood table surrounded by chairs was at the center. A projector was on one side while a table filled with drinks and snacks sat at the other. Three people sat at the table.

As they walked in, Cat Grant, the owner of the network, stood up to greet them.

“Lena. Jess.” She smiled. “It's wonderful to see you again. I trust you’ve been well.” She said as she shook both their hands. Cat looked as fashionable as ever. Wearing a silk blouse and tight black pants, she looked younger than her sixty-plus years. Her blonde hair didn’t show a hint of grey and her face seemed smoother than Lena remembered.

“We’ve been well.” Lena answered, almost robotically. Looking at the table, there was only one other woman and a man sitting down at it. Lena expected much more than three people.

“Wonderful.” Cat turned to introduce the others. “This is Winn Schott and Nia Nal. You’ll be working closely with them in the future. Winn is a masterful editor and Nia is a talented lead videographer.”

“It's nice to meet you both.” Lena said as she shook their hands. Nia smiled enthusiastically while Winn nodded politely.

“Alright, let's get all this formality out of the way and get down to business,” Cat said after they’d finished the introductions. “I liked your footage. Even without proper editing and such, it was obvious you have a knack for being in front of the camera Lena.”

“Hazard of being under the public thumb my whole life.” Lena commented. As the daughter of one of the richest men on the planet, Lena had been photographed and interviewed her whole life. She was an expert at faking it at this point.

Cat laughed. “I suppose that would help. Yes.”

“Can I ask who you’d pick for my costar?”

Cat smiled. “The team and I debated, and we feel that Kara Danvers would be the best fit.”

“Kara Danvers?”

“Of course. Wasn’t she your first choice as well?” Cat questioned.

“She was. But I didn’t think you’d choose her. I thought you’d go with someone more — rugged.” Lena explained. Truly, she’d believe that the network would go with Mike. The man was attractive and charming. She also didn’t believe the network would give the lead to two women.

“You thought I’d pick one of those bearded Ken dolls who couldn’t stop mansplaining?” Cat’s eyes shown. “It's true that those type of men have their appeal, but I don’t want that for this show. I want something different and authentic. I thought about it for quite a while and Kara Danvers seemed the obvious choice. Winn and Nia agreed.”

Lena nodded. “We’ll contact her and work on scheduling.”

Cat pursed her lips and stared intently at Lena. “We have another request.” Cat said as she leaned back in her chair. Eyes still on Lena.

Lena lifted an eyebrow. “It was my understanding that beyond the selection of my costar, Jess and I would have full creative choice.”

“And you shall.” Cat said as she twirled a pen in her hand. “However, I do have nearly forty years of television experience, my shows have multiple awards, and I am offering a suggestion that I feel would add greatly to the show’s success.”

Lena sat back in her chair and studied Cat. It was true that she built The Home Network from the ground up and built it into one of the most successful networks on television. She had a huge collection of awards and was truly a master at creating successful shows. It would be remiss not to listen to her.

“Well please share.”

“Smart move.” Cat smiled. “I would suggest that you capitalize on your chemistry with Ms. Danvers. Even in an imperfectly edited clip, your chemistry was palatable. The type that would draw viewers in and make them adore you both.”

Lena’s mouth dropped open. “My chemistry with Kara.”

“Yes, dear." Cat explained. "You and Kara pop on screen. More so than anyone I’ve seen in a while. Viewers would eat up your relationship. I’d suggest you two have at least one private interaction each episode. She could teach you how to use a nail gun or you could take her to pick out some tile. Just bring some cameras and capture it on film. If you play your cards right, it might be the star element in the show.”

Lena sat back in her chair. It was weird to hear someone talk about her apparent chemistry with a woman she barely knew. Lena knew that she and Kara seemed to work well together but she was not expecting Cat Grant to insist they capitalize on the chemistry as a main element of the show. Lena would obviously need good chemistry with her costar, but she didn’t think it would be a huge part of the show.

“She’s right Lena.” Jess’s voice broke Lena out of her thoughts. “People will want to watch you and Kara as much as they care about the renovations.”

Lena sighed and looked at Cat. “I’m not sure I see it, but I’ll defer to your expertise in this area. I’ll ensure that we do some sort of one-on-one bit each episode.”

“Good choice.” Cat smiled again. She gestured to Winn and Nia, “Of course, Winn and Nia both saw the same thing I did, and they’ll ensure you both come across as devastatingly charming, even if a bit goofy in Ms. Denver’s case. Let them guide you and your show will be a hit. Donations will poor into the Luthor Housing Foundation and you’ll also make a huge profit you can put towards the foundation as well.” 

Lena nodded her understanding.

Cat turned to Jess. “Can you contact Danvers and work with Nia to set up a filming schedule.”

“I’ll get right on it.” Jess said as she wrote in her notebook. She looked back at Cat. “When do you want filming to start?”

“As soon as Ms. Danvers is available.” 


	2. Chapter 2

Shutting the door of her pick-up, Kara turned to walk towards the group of people surrounding the run-down house. It was the first official day of filming for ‘Our Family Home’ and Kara was more than a little nervous. She’d been in contact with Jess and had met with Nia, the filming director, a few times but hadn’t stepped foot in front of a camera since the audition. She had also not seen Lena since the audition. She thought it was odd that she hadn’t met with her cohost before the start of filming, but Kara hadn’t asked any questions.

Kara tried to stop fiddling with her hands as she approached the group of people. She had debated what to wear but Alex had convinced her that the company polo and her usual work pants would suffice. Kara did wear her nicer work pants, the ones without any holes or paint stains, and even bought a new pair of work boots to wear. She hoped her outfit would be acceptable. 

“Kara! Over here!” Nia called as she strode towards Kara. She had met Nia a few times and genuinely liked the young woman. A thoughtful person, Nia had an easy smile and had taken time to get to know Kara. Kara felt they could be friends outside of the work environment.

“Hey, Nia.” Kara said with a smile.

“Hey, Kara. Look, I don’t want to be rude or push you or anything but are you up for starting to film right now? The light is great right now and I want to get the outside shots done before it changes too much.” Nia spoke rapidly as she spun a pencil between her fingers.

“My boots are on and my tools are in the truck so I’m good to go when you are.” Kara responded. Truthfully, she was a bit nervous to be thrown into the fire so soon, but she was willing to grin and bear it if needed.

“Fantastic.” Nia smiled. “You’ve met Grace, right? And reviewed the notes?”

“Yes ma’am. Got everything right here.” Kara grinned as she pointed to her head. She’d briefly met Grace in a meeting the week before. The first client of the show, Grace was a special needs teacher who was also the adoptive mother of two kids. Her husband died a few years ago in a car accident and with her one salary, she could never afford a house near the city center. Being a client of “Our Family Show” would change that and Kara felt honored to be working with her. 

“Great. Let’s go find Lena and Grace so we can get started.”

Kara followed Nia towards the front of the house. Grace was talking with Lena on the front porch. Grace was wearing a blue dress and had her hair done up in curls. She had obviously dressed up to appear on television. Lena was also wearing a dress. Although, her dress was much more tight-fitting that Grace’s, and the green color contrasted well with her skin. Not for the first time, Kara was struck by Lena’s effortless beauty. She was standing in front of a dilapidated house but looked like she could easily grace the cover of a fashion magazine. It was hard to believe that nature could create anything that looked so perfect as Lena’s countenance.

“I’m sorry I missed the memo to wear a dress, ladies.” Kara said as she approached the group. Feeling a bit out of place, Kara hoped her voice didn’t betray her nerves.

“Don’t be,” Lena replied. “You’re the contractor so it’s perfectly acceptable for you to wear comfortable work clothes. I’d be lying if I said I was jealous.”

“My understanding is that you’ll get to try some work clothes of your own soon.” Kara grinned. “I’ve heard I might have an opportunity to teach you a thing or two.” Nia had said that Lena would be learning about the construction side of home renovation while Kara would be asked to learn about the design side of the business. 

“Yes. But I’m afraid it’s a lost cause. I’ve never been good with tools or wood.”

“That’s perfectly fine. I’m a rather good teacher.” Kara smiled. ‘Besides, I can just start you off at minimum wage anyway.”

A small smile ghosted across Lena’s lips as a small chuckle escaped Grace’s mouth. Even though the smile was small, Kara liked seeing it. Lena didn’t seem like the type of person to smile often, so Kara got a thrill out of causing her to smile.

Lena was about to respond when Nia interrupted.

“Alright. The cameras are in place and we are ready to start filling. Remember, don’t stop if you stutter or mess up, just continue. We want this to be as authentic as possible, so we’ll do a single take and then go back if we need to fill in anything. Are you ready to start?” Nia asked.

When they all responded yes, Nia led them to the front yard and set the shot up. Two cameras were aimed at them and a third was waiting inside to get the shot as they entered the home.

“Three!” Nia called. Kara felt her heartbeat increase. A few seconds ago she was leaving her truck and now they were starting to film. 

“Two!” Glancing it Lena, Kara saw she looked cool as ever. A camera pointed at her didn’t seem to phase her.

“One!” Kara took a deep breath. 

“Action!” Nia called.

“So, Grace, this is the house you chose?” Lena asked Grace with a smile.

Grace nodded. “I did pick this one. But I’m hoping you can work some magic because it’s not perfect yet.” She said with a little half-laugh. The house itself was a bit sad to look at. The white siding was peeling off and the large front porch had no steps or railings. However, the gabled room gave the house some potential. Overall, it was underwhelming and seemed a safety hazard. 

“We can fix her up. After all, they don’t call me Mozart with a hammer for nothing.” Kara grinned. “Care to show us around?”

Grace led them to the front porch and said, “Be careful climbing onto the porch. There are no steps and it’s a good way up.” Grace said as she gestured to the three feet drop from the porch to the ground.

Catching sight of a cinderblock under the porch, Kara went over to it and used a dead-lift movement to pick it up safely. She walked the few feet back to the rest of the group and sat it down in front of Grace.

“It's not perfect but it should be helpful,” Kara said as she dusted off her hands. Next, she braced her hand on the wood and easily swung her body up onto the porch. She turned and offered her hand to Lena and Grace.

“You know we could get up there without you being a showoff.” Lena said with a hint of playfulness in her voice. 

“Y'all lovely ladies are wearing dresses and I was just trying to be a gentlewoman.” Kara replied. “However, you can still jump up on your own if you’d prefer.” Kara challenged.

“Oh, I am not jumping up there in a dress. No ma’am.” Grace said firmly. She took Kara’s hand and let Kara pull her up to the landing.

Kara turned back to Lena and smiled sweetly. “You coming?” She challenged.

Lena shook her head at Kara and bit her lip. Avoiding the cinderblock, she approached the porch and turned her back to it. Using her arms, she lifted herself until she sat on the porch. She then swung her body around until her legs were on the porch and then proceeded to climb back to her feet.

Lena directed a finally smirk at Kara and said, “You were saying?”

“I stand corrected.” Kara laughed good-naturedly. “Well, done.”

“Thank you.” Lena replied with a smile. She went to take a step when part of her heel seemed to catch on the uneven wood of the porch. Her hands flailed and her body suddenly lurched as she lost her balance.

Without thinking, Kara moved. She stepped forward and one hand caught Lena’s wrist while the other wrapped around Lena’s waist. She jerked Lena away from the edge and pulled Lena into her body.

With Lena was safe on the porch, Kara felt Lena’s hand on her. One was grasping her shoulder while the other rested high on her chest. In her haste to save Lena from falling, Kara had pulled Lena so close that she could feel her warm breath on her collarbone. She shivered as her body flushed in reaction to the woman in front of her. Kara reassured herself that any beautiful woman would have the same effect.

Grace’s voice cut through the moment. “Lena! Are you alright!”

Immediately, Lena pushed away. “I’m fine.” Lena said as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Her cheeks were pink, and she refused to look at Kara. She looked embarrassed and Kara felt for her. Kara decided to change the subject.

“Let’s continue with the tour, then” Kara offered. “I’m dying to see the inside of this place.”

Nia nodded for them to continue and Grace turned to the front door.

Pushing through the door, Grace said, “It’s a little rough right now. It needs a little love.”

They entered into a decent-sized room that had no flooring and multiple holes in the walls. There were bits and pieces of crown molding but most it had been torn off. All in all, the room was a mess and Kara knew the rest of the house wouldn’t get better.

“She does need some love.” Lena said as she looked around. The pink had left her face and she seemed recomposed. 

“She needs some tender tender love at that.” Kara added. She shot a smile at the camera when she saw Lena roll her eyes at the comment.

Pushing past Kara, Lena said, “We can make this work. Some new floors and some drywall and it’ll be good as new.”

“I hope so. The kitchen is this way.” Grace said as she led them through a doorway.

The kitchen wasn’t that small, but the decent size did not make up for the decor. While there was some hardwood flooring down, there was little else in the room. A single cabinet in the room along with a fridge and microwave that was sitting on the floor. There was no sink, oven, or dishwasher. Instead, there were obvious gaps in the flooring where they once set. 

“This is an acceptable size.” Lena commented. “We wouldn’t need to necessarily enlarge it.”

“Yep. Not too small. But I would like it to be a bit more open. It’s really closed off right now.” Grace said.

“We can blow out this wall over here and open it up to the living area. Maybe even add in an island with some seats. Put in some brand-new cabinets and appliances and make it the whole space work.” Kara explained.

“That sounds excellent.” Grace smiled.

“Let’s, take a look at the master.” Lena said as they walked toward the room. “To me, this room doesn’t seem to have any major issues. It just needs some cosmetic work." As Lena said, the room wasn't terrible. It was large and just need a new code of paint and some good flooring. 

“I agree.” Kara said. “But I do want to see if this is a drop ceiling. It’s a pretty low ceiling height and raising it could open the room.” Kara added as she retrieved a chair from the other room.

Setting the chair in the middle of the room, she stood on it and pushed against the ceiling. Without much force, a panel of the ceiling gave way and she pushed it to the side. It was indeed a drop ceiling.

“What is it?” Grace asked.

“A drop ceiling. Someone saved money by hiding electricals and stuff in a lower ceiling. We can fix it and give you another two or three feet for your ceiling.” Kara explained as she continued to peer into the ceiling. When she moved to jump down, she thought she saw Lena’s eyes staring at a strip of her stomach that was exposed by her shirt riding up. Lena looked away and Kara figured she must have been mistaken.

“Perfect. Higher ceilings would be wonderful.” Grace smiled. She turned and said, “Bathroom is here.” The bathroom was incredibly tiny and had a pedestal sink, an old toilet, and a small insert shower.

“Gosh, y'all. This thing is tiny. There are entire showers bigger than this whole bathroom.” Kara said as she stepped into the small space.

“It definitely needs updating.”

“Look at this petite little shower. There’s no room to turn once you get in there.” Kara laughed. The factory made insert shower was indeed tiny. Kara wagered there were less than four square feet of room. 

“I don't think its that small. Why don’t you step inside and see if you can turn around then.” Lena smiled and held the shower door open for Kara.

“Okay.” Kara stepped up the small ledge and squeezed in between the two shower walls. As soon as she was inside, she felt the shower door shut behind her and heard Grace laugh. Struggling to turn and unlatch the door, Kara called out. “Lena? Grace? A little help.”

She heard retreating footsteps and Lena called out, “Catch up with us when you’re ready to keep working.”

Kara realized that Lena had shut the door on her and trapped Kara in the tiny shower. It was a good move and the camera would love it. Still, Kara needed to get out of the shower. She had unusually broad shoulders for a woman and it took her a while to successfully twist around. When she was finally facing away from the wall, she saw that a camera was still pointed at her.

“You couldn’t have helped me out, man?” Kara asked Joey as he watched her through the camera. Joey playfully shook the camera side to side to indicate the answer was no. Kara sighed dramatically and pushed the shower door open.

Pushing past Joey, she went back into the house and kept her eyes open for Lena and Grace. She found them in one of the bedrooms.

“One day you’ll be in a dirty and damp crawl space and then I’m just going to leave you there.” Kara called to Lena she walked into the room. She put her hands on her hips and glared playfully at Lena.

“Oh darling, I’d actually have to go into a crawl space for that to happen.” Lena smiled sweetly. Ignoring Kara, Lena turned back to Grace, “Do you like the idea of adding a bathroom for the kids?”

Grace nodded, “I would love it if that could happen. You have no idea how awesome two bathrooms would be.”

“We can make that happen.” Lena replied. “Kara may struggle to open shower doors, but I assure you she’s good with tools.”

Deciding to ignore Lena’s taught, Kara said, “We can certainly add a bathroom.”

“That would be fantastic.” Grace smiled gratefully up at Kara.

“Cut!” Nia called loudly. “We’re pretty much done with the house, now we just need to go back through and get some B-roll shots to ensure we have enough footage. Let’s go back to the front porch and I’ll give directions.” Nia instructed.

An hour later, Nia was confident they had all the B-roll footage the show would need. However, the day was far from over. Next, Nia said they would do some confessional footage.

“A confessional is like on reality TV when someone talks directly to the camera to give background or explained what happened. It’s kind of like an interview where you explain everything. We retroactively edit them into the footage.” Nia explained.

Grace had been called first. Nia had taken her out on the porch, and they were about an hour into Grace’s confessional. Meanwhile, Kara had brought her tools in from the truck and was cutting up the floors to see what was underneath the carpet in the bedroom. Lena had planted herself in a chair by the dining table and was furiously typing away on her laptop. 

Kara had tried to start a conversation with Lena after the filming had stopped. But it was soon clear that Lena was more interested in her email than in continuing the conversation. Lena had been polite to Kara, but her eyes were focused on her laptop. Kara took the hint and went to investigate the floor in the bedroom.

“Lena! Kara! You two are up!” Nia called from the porch.

Kara stopped ripping up the floor and walked out to the porch. Joey and Anne were standing with their cameras and Nia was looking down at a clipboard and chewing a pencil. Lena was a few steps behind her.

“Side by side and in front of the wall please.” Nia commanded without looking up from the clipboard. Kara scooted backward until she a few inches away from the wall. Lena offered her a small smile and then came to stand about a foot away from her.

“This alright?” Kara asked as she got settled.

“Yep.” Nia said as she looked up. “So, as I said before, this is the confessional portion of the day. I’ll ask you questions, and you need to answer them. Remember to try to work the question into your answer. My question won’t be in the show, so you need to make sure your answer restates the question in some way. Understand?”

Kara and Lena both nodded.

“Good.” Nia turned to Joey. “Camera’s ready?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Alright. Let’s get started.” Nia said. “So, what did you think of the house?” Nia asked them.

“I won’t lie. The house isn’t perfect right now.” Lena said. “However, Grace picked this house for a reason and we can make it perfect for her.”

Kara nodded in agreement. “As we said, this house needs some love, and then she’ll become a beauty. She might be the ugly duckling right now, but she’ll turn into the beautiful – a – a – ” Kara struggled to find the word she was looking for. She turned to Lena for help. “—what does the ugly duckling turn into?”

Lena smiled and shook her head. “A beautiful swan is the metaphor you’re looking for I believe.”

“That’s it!” Kara grinned and turned back to the camera. “She might be an ugly duckling right now, but she’ll turn into a beautiful swan. I swear she will.” Kara kept smiling even when she heard Lena suppress a laugh.

“How bad was the kitchen?” Nia asked.

“The kitchen was rough. And that is putting it mildly. If the fridge wasn’t in there, then it would be hard to tell it was even a kitchen.” Lena said.

“Don’t remind me of that fridge.” Kara grimaced. “I just know there is a ripe malodourous stink waiting inside that thing.”

Lena groaned. “I don’t even want to think about what’s sitting inside that thing. Have fun dragging it out of there.”

“Woah. Woah. Woah.” Kara laughed. “Refrigerator designs are all design. Not renovation or construction. So that refrigerator problem is all yours.”

Lena turned a pointed a finger at Kara. “That is not how this works.”

Kara shrugged. “I guess we’ll just wait and see who removes the fridge.” She turned back around and mouthed ‘Lena’ at the camera. Out of the corner of her eye, Kara saw a ghost of a smile showed on Lena’s face.

“What are your plans for the master bathroom?” Nia asked.

“If we eat into one of the other bedrooms than we can triple the amount of the bathroom. We can make it into an amazing space with a soaking tub and large shower.” Kara said.

“Grace really does deserve a spot to relax and unwind when she comes home from work. She loves long soaks in the bath so we’re going to find the best soaking tub we can and set that in there. It’ll become a dream come true.” Lena added.

“Kara, how did you feel when Lena locked you in that shower.”

“Oh my gosh! She trapped me in there! I literally saved her life a few minutes earlier and then she turns around and stabs me in the back! Totally unprofessional.” Kara cried. Her hands gestured wildly as she spoke.

“Hold up!” Lena interjected. “When did you save my life?” Her green eyes fixed on Kara.

“You about met God by falling off that porch, but I caught you!” Kara explained. “I saved you and then you lock me in a gross old shower?”

“You did not save my life. The fall was like three feet.” Lena shrugged. Kara could see the amusement in her face. 

“Well, sometimes three feet is all it takes.”

“That’s rather morbid.” Lena exclaimed.

“Being stuck in that shower was rather morbid.” Kara shot back. Lena leaned into her and wrapped a hand around Kara’s elbow while her other hand went to Kara’s stomach, laying flat against her abdomen.

“Kara’s can be a just a tad dramatic sometimes.” Lena told the camera as she patted Kara’s stomach. Her hand seemed to burn into Kara’s skin. “Despite her frightening exterior she really is a child at heart.” Lena added.

Kara turned and smiled at Lena. “There’s a compliment in there, somewhere right?” Kara asked as Lena met her gaze. With Lena still leaning into her, they were only inches apart and Kara could see the brown hidden in the green of Lena’s eyes.

“Somewhere. Yes.” Lena smiled. She patted Kara’s abdomen one last time before pulling away.

“This is the first house you are working on together. What are you looking forward to?” Nia asked.

“Personally, I’m really excited to create Grace’s dream house. She’s such a deserving person and I can’t wait for her family home to be ready. And as crazy as it sounds, I’m also looking forward to learning from Kara and getting my hands a little dirty.” Lena smiled at the camera as she spoke.

“Like Lena, I’m excited to get Grace and help her create the home that her family deserves. Of course, I’m also excited to learn from Lena. She’s had some great ideas and I intend to be a sponge that just soaks it all in.” Kara grinned.

“Good.” Nia called as she signaled for the cameras to stop filming. “That gives us a lot of great footage to use. You two really do have some chemistry.”

“We’re done for the day?” Kara asked when she saw Anne and Joey set their cameras down. She purposely ignored Nia's last comment. 

“Yep. We are done for the day.” Nia responded. “We’ll be back to film demo day tomorrow.”

With that, the group started to pack up their things and prepared to leave. Lena and Kara both walked back into the house. For whatever reason, Kara and Lena seemed to connect well on camera but so far, they had barely talked in real life.

“Will you be here for demo day?” Kara ventured as she watched Lena pick up her bag.

Lena met her eyes. “Of course.”

“Oh. Um great.” Kara fumbled with her words as Lena’s gaze seemed to pierce her skin. “I’m glad we’ll have a chance to get to know each other better.”

“I am too, Kara.” Lena said. Lena’s face softened and she said, “I’m sorry we haven’t gotten to know each other well. I’ve had a lot of family issues recently and even when I am here my mind is elsewhere most of the time.”

“I understand.” Kara nodded. “Family always comes first.” 

Lena frowned. “I’m not sure my family deserves that sentiment in the way you mean it.”

Kara’s brow crinkled at her words. “What do you mean.”

“Nothing.” Lena shook her head and sighed. “Ignore my ramblings. I’m afraid I must go but I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.” She smiled at Kara one last time. “Goodbye, Kara.”

“Goodbye Lena.”

***

About an hour later, Kara was walking in the front door of her house. Even after living in the house for nearly two years, she still felt a burst of pride when she looked at it. A rare Victorian house near the city, it had taken nearly a year of after-hours work and weekend hours to restore the place to its former beauty. She and Alex had bought the dilapidated house for pennies and it took blood, sweat, multiple pieces of heavy equipment, and a good amount of money to fix the place up. They had saved money by doing most of the work themselves and now the delicate craftsmanship and vivid paint were fully restored. It was truly a beauty and they'd received multiple offers despite never putting it on the market. She doubted they would ever sell it. 

She unlocked the door and threw her bag down on the side table. Her nose picked up a pleasant scent as she walked through the entryway. 

“Alex?” she called. Kara and Alex lived together in the restored house. With four bedrooms and four bathrooms, there was more than enough room for them both. If they needed space, they each had their own area to retreat to. 

“Kitchen!” Alex called back. 

Walking into the kitchen, Kara's heart sang when she saw a take-out bag from her favorite restaurant. Grabbing it, she quickly found what she was looking for an pulled out her double portion of potstickers.

“You are my favorite person.” She said between bites. Alex sat a glass of wine down in front of her and she took a swig.

“Yeah. Yeah. I know.” Alex said as she ate her food while standing up at the white marble countertop. Her hair was damp and she was in her PJs. 

“It is worth repeating.”

“So, how did the first day of filming go?” Alex asked as she took a sip of wine.

“It was good, I think. Everyone was really nice.”

“What about Lena?” Alex asked as she took a bite of a sweet roll.

Kara’s brow crinkled. “What about her?”

“Was she nice?”

“Mostly. Yeah.” Kara swallowed a potsticker. “Why?”

“You know who she is right? The family she comes from?”

“I’ve heard her name here and there, usually in a negative light. But I don’t want to prejudge her on something I don’t know a lot about.”

“She’s essentially a business partner, Kara. You need to know who you are getting into business with.” Alex said as she tossed Kara a newspaper. “Second page.”

Opening the newspaper, Kara quickly found the article that Alex referenced. The article title read “Lex Luthor to court date arrives! Will he receive jail time?”

“What does this have to do with anything?” Kara questioned.

“Read it, Kara!” Alex cried. “He says that she was a part of all the schemes. That she committed fraud and discriminated against people! She helped orchestrate it all!”

“He? He who? Lex?” Kara bristled. “He’s the one they arrested. Of course, he would lie about it! Besides if anyone had any evidence, she was involved than she would be on trail too!” Kara didn’t like Alex throwing accusations around simply because she read a newspaper article. Lena had mentioned she had been having family issues and this article hinting at what they were.

“All I’m saying is that you need to be careful! She is not like us, Kara. She’s been rich her whole life. She knows nothing of the struggles of the masses, and she is her brother’s sister.”

“I’m not going to judge her on her family, Alex! She’s been nothing but kind and she seems like a genuinely nice person.”

Their voices had grown louder during the conversation and Kara could feel her heart rate increasing. She didn’t want to fight with Alex. She didn’t enjoy it. But she wasn’t going to distrust someone simply because Alex was a suspicious person. For some reason, Kara also felt an urge, a need, to defend Lena. She barely knew the woman but felt the heat rise in her when Alex disparaged her.

“All I am asking is that you be careful.” Alex sighed and her voice softened. “You always believe the best in everyone and it’s a quality I’m sometimes jealous of, but I worry it could get you into trouble.”

“Fine.” Kara sighed. “I’ll watch out, but I won’t judge her on anything but her actions.”

“Fair enough.” Alex said. Her shoulders relaxed.

Kara felt herself relax a swell. “Promise me you’ll be kind to her tomorrow, Alex? Please don’t start anything.”

“I don’t trust her –” Alex replied. “—but I promise I’ll be civil.”

“Thank you.” Kara breathed a sigh of relief. She loved Alex more than anyone in the world, but Alex could be relentless if she thought someone was a threat to Kara. In truth, Kara was one of Alex's only reminding family members. Alex's father, Kara's adoptive father, had passed away when Alex was nineteen. He died after a multiple-year battle with cancer and it had changed Alex. She was less trustful of others but often seemed overprotective of Kara. 

“Want to go finish our food while watching Netflix?” Alex asked after a brief silence. A sheepish smile on her face.

“Avatar?”

“Of course.” Alex grinned. “We have to see how they escape the prison.” 

Kara picked up her plate. “Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the lovely comments and feedback! I'm glad people are enjoying this.


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